Information processing apparatus and method therefor

ABSTRACT

A first memory unit stores requester event information pieces each including time information indicating an occurrence time of an event associated with a process executed by a first server. A second memory unit stores request-destination event information pieces each including time information indicating an occurrence time of an event associated with a process executed by a second server in response to a request from the first server. A determining unit determines, for each request-destination event information piece, a correction allowable range of the time information by comparing the time information of the request-destination event information pieces with that of the requester event information pieces. A generating unit generates an information set by extracting, from the request-destination event information pieces arranged in chronological order according to the time information, chronologically consecutive request-destination event information pieces whose correction allowable ranges include a common value.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation application of InternationalApplication PCT/JP2011/079606 filed on Dec. 21, 2011 which designatedthe U.S., the entire contents of which are incorporated herein byreference.

FIELD

The embodiments discussed herein are related to an informationprocessing apparatus and an information processing method.

BACKGROUND

In the operation and maintenance control of a web application forproviding services to users through the Internet, performancemeasurements are carried out to monitor delay in processing executed inresponse to requests from users. For example, a series of processesexecuted in response to a processing request from a user is consideredas a transaction, and the content of the transaction is analyzed. In thetransaction analysis, for example, a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)request-response process, from handling a first request up to returninga response to the user, and a database access process having taken placein the transaction are detected. Then, the detected processes areanalyzed to thereby calculate the time taken for each of the processes.

In a transaction analytical method, messages moving over a network areintercepted by packet capture, logging, or the like. Among theintercepted messages, messages transmitted and received in the sametransaction are associated with each other. Based on the group of theassociated messages, the processing content of the transaction isanalyzed. To associate messages, time information added to the messages,for example, is used. When information of a message is recorded, it isusually the case that time information is added thereto besides themessage body. By determining the temporal relationship among eventsbased on the time information of messages, it is possible to find agroup of messages exchanged in the same transaction.

In the case where transaction analysis is performed using the timeinformation of messages acquired by packet capture or logging, accuratesynchronization of time between apparatuses used for obtaining messageshas a beneficial effect on improving analysis accuracy. However,programs and apparatuses recording information, such as messages,independently measure the progress of time, and time differences usuallyexist among them. Because such apparatuses add time information toacquired messages based on their internal clocks, time differences alsoappear in the added time information. Time asynchronism in the timeinformation of the messages results in inaccurate determination of thetemporal relationship among the messages. This produces errors indetermining which messages belong to the same transaction when thedetermination is made based on the time information of the messages.

The Network Time Protocol (NTP) has been conventionally used for clocksynchronization between servers. Note however that the NTP applicationoften fails to provide accurate synchronization sufficient to associatemessages with each other. Furthermore, in the case where a singleapparatus uses a plurality of different processes to obtain messageinformation, the same effect as when there are time differences betweenapparatuses may be produced for the same original time informationbecause the timing of adding a time stamp to a message is differentamong the processes.

Note that there is a technique for synchronizing the time of a server toanother server in a remote location using a global positioning system(GPS), which however needs special hardware and thus leads to anincrease in cost. Even if time synchronization is achieved by a GPS, theproblem of time asynchronism due to differences in timing of adding atime stamp among processes still remains and is thus not solved simplyby synchronizing time information between apparatuses.

Thus, inconsistency in time information of logs recorded by a pluralityof different apparatuses may prevent accurate analysis. In view of this,a technique has been proposed to correct time stamps recorded in aplurality of logs output from a plurality of computers according to atime correction log and a consistency rule among the plurality of logs.

-   Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2006-11683-   Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2008-269084

However, the conventional time correction method does not clearlydetermine the temporal range of information to which an obtained timecorrection value is applicable for correcting time information, and maytherefore fail to use an appropriate correction value in the correctionprocedure. For example, when time difference per unit time varies, itmay not be possible to find a common single correction value applicableto information over an excessively large temporal extent whilstmaintaining temporal consistency among all the information in thetemporal extent. Thus, if the application range of the obtained timecorrection value is inaccurate, the correction value is no longerappropriate, failing to achieve proper time correction.

SUMMARY

According to one embodiment, there is provided an information processingapparatus which includes a processor configured to perform a procedureincluding determining, with respect to each of a plurality ofrequest-destination event information pieces each including timeinformation indicating an occurrence time of an event associated withone of processes executed by a second server in response to an executionrequest from a first server, a correction allowable range of the timeinformation by referring to the request-destination event informationpieces and a plurality of requester event information pieces eachincluding time information indicating an occurrence time of an eventassociated with one of processes executed by the first server andcomparing the time information of the request-destination eventinformation pieces and the time information of the requester eventinformation pieces; and generating a request-destination eventinformation set by extracting, from among the request-destination eventinformation pieces arranged in chronological order according to the timeinformation thereof, chronologically consecutive request-destinationevent information pieces whose correction allowable ranges include acommon value.

The object and advantages of the invention will be realized and attainedby means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out inthe claims.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and arenot restrictive of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system according to a firstembodiment;

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a system configuration according to asecond embodiment;

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration of an analyzerused in the second embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of functions of theanalyzer;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of a transaction analysisprocess;

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a data structure of a web messagestoring unit;

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a data structure of an applicationmessage storing unit;

FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a data structure of a database messagestoring unit;

FIG. 9 illustrates an example of message pairs of an application layerand a database layer;

FIG. 10 illustrates an example of message transmission timing beforetime correction;

FIG. 11 illustrates an example of transitions of a matching rate and acover rate according to prospective correction values in a case ofapplying the same single correction value to messages for three hours;

FIG. 12 illustrates an example of transitions of the matching rate andthe cover rate according to prospective correction values in the case ofapplying the same single correction value to messages for fifteenminutes;

FIG. 13 illustrates an example of transitions of the matching rate andthe cover rate according to prospective correction values in the case ofapplying the same single correction value to messages for one minute;

FIG. 14 illustrates a first example of a time correction range of amessage pair with a transaction identifier;

FIG. 15 illustrates a second example of the time correction range of amessage pair with a transaction identifier;

FIG. 16 illustrates an example of the time correction range of a messagepair with no transaction identifier;

FIG. 17 illustrates an example of updating the time correction range;

FIG. 18 illustrates a difference in the amount of processing due towhether there are temporal limits for the time correction range;

FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of a time correctionprocess; and

FIG. 20 illustrates differences in a matching rate and a cover rate withand without determination of an appropriate application range of eachcorrection value.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Several embodiments will be described below with reference to theaccompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to likeelements throughout. Note that two or more of the embodiments below maybe combined for implementation in such a way that no contradictionarises.

(a) First Embodiment

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system according to a firstembodiment. The system of the first embodiment includes, for example, aninformation processing apparatus 1, a terminal 2, a first server 3, asecond server 4, and a capture apparatus 5.

The terminal 2 transmits a processing request to the first server 3, forexample, according to an input from a user of the terminal 2. The firstserver 3 and the second server 4 cooperate with each other to executetransaction processes in response to the processing request from theterminal 2. Assume for example that the first server 3 functions as aweb server and an application server and the second server 4 functionsas a database server. In this case, the first server 3 executes a webservice or an application processing service according to the processingrequest from the terminal 2, and transmits a request message to thesecond server 4 to access data managed by the second server 4. Note thatthe request message transmitted by the first server 3 to the secondserver 4 may include a transaction identifier. The second server 4accesses the data according to the received request message, and returnsthe access result to the first server 3 as a response message.

The system according to the first embodiment has functions dedicated tothe individual first and second servers 3 and 4, each of which is torecord event information on events having taken place in associationwith processes in transactions. For example, when having executed aprocess as a part of a transaction in response to a request message, thefirst server 3 generates event information pieces individuallyassociated with a start event and an end event of the executed process.Note that the first server 3 includes, in each of the generated eventinformation pieces, time information indicating a time at which acorresponding event occurred (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as‘occurrence time’). In addition, the first server 3 generates anidentifier uniquely identifying the executed transaction and thenincludes the transaction identifier in each of the generated eventinformation pieces. Subsequently, the first server 3 stores thegenerated event information pieces in an internal storage device.

A network tap 6 is provided on a communication channel between the firstserver 3 and the second server 4, and the capture apparatus 5 isconnected to the network tap 6. The network tap 6 transmits, to thecapture apparatus 5, copies of packets transferred between the firstserver 3 and the second server 4. The capture apparatus 5 analysespackets transmitted from the network tap 6 to reproduce request messagesissued from the first server 3 to the second server 4 and responsemessages returned from the second server 4 to the first server 3. Then,the capture apparatus 5 stores, in an internal storage device, eventinformation pieces indicating event occurrence of the individualmessages. Note that, when storing each event information piece, thecapture apparatus 5 adds time information indicating the occurrence timeof a corresponding event to the event information piece. In addition, ifa transaction identifier is included in an acquired message, the captureapparatus 5 includes the identifier in a corresponding event informationpiece.

The information processing apparatus 1 includes a first memory unit 1 a,a second memory unit 1 b, an acquiring unit 1 c, a determining unit 1 d,a generating unit 1 e, and a correcting unit 1 f.

The first memory unit 1 a stores therein pieces of requester eventinformation, each including time information indicating the occurrencetime of an event associated with a process executed by the first server3 as part of a transaction. For example, at least some of the requesterevent information pieces in the first memory unit 1 a individuallyinclude an identifier of a transaction containing a correspondingprocess executed by the first server 3.

The second memory unit 1 b stores therein pieces of request-destinationevent information, each including time information indicating theoccurrence time of an event associated with a process executed as partof a transaction by the second server 4 according to an executionrequest issued by the first server 3. For example, at least some of therequest-destination event information pieces in the second memory unit 1b individually include an identifier of a transaction containing acorresponding process executed by the second server 4.

The acquiring unit 1 c acquires, from the capture apparatus 5, eachrequester event information piece associated with a process executed bythe first server 3 and then stores the request event information piecein the first memory unit 1 a. The acquiring unit 1 c also acquires, fromthe second server 4, each request-destination event information pieceassociated with a process executed by the second server 4 and thenstores the request-destination event information piece in the secondmemory unit 1 b.

The determining unit 1 d refers to the first memory unit 1 a and thesecond memory unit 1 b and compares the time information of therequest-destination event information pieces and that of the requesterevent information pieces. Then, the determining unit 1 d determines acorrection allowable range of the time information with respect to eachof the request-destination event information pieces.

For example, the determining unit 1 d determines an execution period ofeach process executed by the first server 3 based on a correspondingpair of requester event information pieces (hereinafter, simply referredto as ‘requester event information pair’), which pair is composed of tworequester event information pieces individually associated with thestart and end of the process. The determining unit 1 d also determinesan execution period of each process executed by the second server 4based on a corresponding pair of request-destination event informationpieces (‘request-destination event information pair’), which pair iscomposed of two request-destination event information piecesindividually associated with the start and end of the process. Further,with respect to each request-destination event information pair, thedetermining unit 1 d obtains a correction range allowing an executionperiod of a process corresponding to the request-destination eventinformation pair to be corrected to fall within an execution perioddetermined based on a requester event information pair having the sametransaction identifier as the request-destination event informationpair. The determining unit 1 d then designates the obtained correctionrange as a correction allowable range of the time information of therequest-destination event information pair.

The generating unit 1 e generates a request-destination eventinformation set by extracting, from among request-destination eventinformation pieces arranged in chronological order according to the timeinformation, chronologically consecutive pieces whose correctionallowable ranges include a common value.

As for individual request-destination event information pieces belongingto the generated request-destination event information set, thecorrecting unit 1 f corrects the time information of each of therequest-destination event information pieces stored in the second memoryunit 1 b using the common correction value found among the correctionallowable ranges of the request-destination event information pieces.

With the above-described system, the first server 3 and the secondserver 4 carry out transaction processes according to a processingrequest from the terminal 2. The capture apparatus 5 records eachrequester event information piece associated with a process executed bythe first server 3. The second server records each request-destinationevent information piece associated with a process executed by the secondserver 4. In this situation, if internal clocks of the capture apparatus5 and the second server 4 are not synchronized with each other, timedifference appears in the time information added to event informationpieces recorded by each of the capture apparatus 5 and the second server4. In view of this, the information processing apparatus 1 determines acorrection value for the time difference and the application range ofthe correction value.

For example, the acquiring unit 1 c of the information processingapparatus 1 acquires, from the capture apparatus 5, each requester eventinformation piece, which is then stored in the first memory unit 1 a.The acquiring unit 1 c also acquires, from the second server 4, eachrequest-destination event information piece, which is then stored in thesecond memory unit 1 b.

Subsequently, the determining unit 1 d refers to the first memory unit 1a and the second memory unit 1 b to thereby compare the time informationof request-destination event information pieces against the timeinformation of requester event information pieces. Then, the determiningunit 1 d determines a correction allowable range of the time informationwith respect to each request-destination event information piece.

According to the example of FIG. 1, the first server 3 and the secondserver 4 have carried out transactions with identifiers tid1, tid2, andtid3. The first memory unit 1 a stores therein requester eventinformation pieces indicating individual events of the start and end ofa process executed by the first server 3 in each of the transactions.Based on a requester event information pair composed of two requesterevent information pieces having the same transaction identifier, theexecution period of a process in the transaction at the first server 3is determined. For example, the start time and the end time of a processin the transaction with the identifier tid1 at the first server 3 are3.10 seconds and 3.20 seconds, respectively. Then, the execution periodof the process in the transaction with the identifier tid1 at the firstserver 3 is determined as ‘3.10 to 3.20’. Similarly, the executionperiod of a process in the transaction with the identifier tid2 at thefirst server 3 is determined as ‘3.30 to 3.40’, and the execution periodof a process in the transaction with the identifier tid3 at the firstserver 3 is determined as ‘3.50 to 3.59’.

The second memory unit 1 b stores therein request-destination eventinformation pieces indicating individual events of the start and end ofa process executed by the second server 4 in each of the transactions.Based on a request-destination event information pair composed of tworequest-destination event information pieces having the same transactionidentifier, the execution period of a process in the transaction at thesecond server 4 is determined. For example, the start time and the endtime of a process in the transaction with the identifier tid1 at thesecond server 4 are 3.05 seconds and 3.07 seconds, respectively. Then,the execution period of the process in the transaction with theidentifier tid1 at the second server is determined as ‘3.05 to 3.07’.Similarly, the execution period of a process in the transaction with theidentifier tid2 at the second server 4 is determined as ‘3.31 to 3.35’,and the execution period of a process in the transaction with theidentifier tid3 at the second server 4 is determined as ‘3.43 to 3.45’.

In this case, the correction allowable range of the request-destinationevent information pair associated with the transaction identifier tid1is a value range allowing the period of 3.05 to 3.07 to be collected tofall within the range of 3.10 to 3.20. Here, with a range of +0.05 to+0.13, the period of 3.05 to 3.07 is corrected to fall within the rangeof 3.10 to 3.20. Therefore, the correction allowable range is +0.05 to+0.13. Similarly, the correction allowable ranges of therequest-destination event information pairs associated with thetransaction identifiers tid2 and tid3 are ranges of −0.01 to +0.05 and+0.07 to +0.14, respectively.

Once the correction allowable ranges are obtained, the generating unit 1e generates a request-destination event information set by extracting,from among request-destination event information pieces arranged inchronological order according to the time information, chronologicallyconsecutive pieces whose correction allowable ranges include a commonvalue. For example, the generating unit 1 e sequentially selectsrequest-destination event information pairs in chronological order. Eachtime selecting a new request-destination event information pair, thegenerating unit 1 e determines whether there is a common value between acommon range found in the correction allowable ranges of alreadyselected request-destination event information pairs and the correctionallowable range of the newly selected request-destination eventinformation pair. If there is a common value, the newly selectedrequest-destination event information pair is added to therequest-destination event information set in which allrequest-destination event information pairs have the common value intheir correction allowable ranges.

According to the example of FIG. 1, for example, the request-destinationevent information pairs with the transaction identifiers tid1 and tid2are selected first. The correction allowable ranges of the selectedrequest-destination event information pairs include a common value,+0.05. Therefore, individual request-destination event informationpieces making up the request-destination event information pairs withthe transaction identifiers tid1 and tid2 are placed in the same set.

Then, the request-destination event information pair with thetransaction identifier tid3 is selected next. The selectedrequest-destination event information pair has a correction allowablerange of +0.07 to +0.14. In this case, there is no common value betweenthe common value +0.05 of the correction allowable ranges of thepreviously selected request-destination event information pairs and thecorrection allowable range +0.07 to +0.14 of the newly selectedrequest-destination event information pair. Therefore, informationpieces making up the request-destination event information pair with thetransaction identifier tid3 are placed in a different set from the setof the previous request-destination event information pieces. As aresult, it is determined that chronologically consecutiverequest-destination event information pieces in the second memory unit 1b starting from the request-destination event information piece with thetime information ‘3.05’ up to the request-destination event informationpiece with the time information ‘3.35’ are placed in the same singleset.

Once a request-destination event information set is determined, thecorrecting unit 1 f corrects the time information of the individualrequest-destination event information pieces of the set by using thesame single correction value. For example, in the case where thechronologically consecutive range starting from the request-destinationevent information piece with the time information ‘3.05’ up to therequest-destination event information piece with the time information‘3.35’ is determined as the application range, the time information ofeach of the request-destination event information pieces in theapplication range is corrected using, as a correction value, the commonvalue +0.05 found in the correction allowable ranges of therequest-destination event information pieces. For example, thecorrection value is added to a value indicated by the time informationof each of the request-destination event information pieces.

In the above-described manner, a correction allowable range isdetermined for each request-destination event information piece, andthen chronologically consecutive request-destination event informationpieces whose correction allowable ranges include a common value areplaced in a set subject to time correction using the same singlecorrection value. Because the request-destination event informationpieces placed into the set generated in such a manner have the commonvalue in their correction allowable ranges, the correction of the timeinformation using the common value as a correction value ensurestemporal consistency between the requester and the request destinationin terms of the execution periods of their processes after the timecorrection. That is, appropriate correction is made for the timeinformation of the request-destination event information pieces. Theappropriate correction for the time information improves, for example,the reliability of transaction analysis based on requester eventinformation and request-destination event information.

The acquiring unit 1 c, the determining unit 1 d, the generating unit 1e, and the correcting unit if may be implemented by a central processingunit (CPU) of the information processing apparatus 1. In addition, thefirst memory unit 1 a and the second memory unit 1 b may be implemented,for example, by random access memory (RAM) and a hard disk drive (HDD)of the information processing apparatus 1.

Note that, in FIG. 1, each line connecting the individual componentsrepresents a part of communication paths, and communication paths otherthan those illustrated in FIG. 1 are also configurable.

(b) Second Embodiment

A second embodiment is described next. The second embodiment is directedto determining, in an analyzer for analyzing transactions, correctionvalues for time information prior to transaction analysis. Note that thesecond embodiment uses, as an example, a web three-tier system forproviding services using the World Wide Web (WWW). In the web three-tiersystem, transaction processes are categorized into three layers: a weblayer for providing access to the services using the WWW; an applicationlayer for performing various types of data processing; and a database(DB) layer for managing data. In the web three-tier system, the weblayer is the highest layer, the application layer is the middle layer,and the database layer is the lowest layer.

In the second embodiment, information on messages (message information)input and output to and from individual servers is used as an example ofthe event information of the first embodiment. For example, an input ofa request message to a server is recognized as the occurrence of aprocess start event in the server. In addition, an output of a responsemessage from a server is recognized as the occurrence of a process endevent in the server.

According to the second embodiment, message information piecesindividually indicating the start and end of a single process areassociated with each other to be a message information pair. Then, withrespect to each message information pair, a correction allowable rangeof time information of the paired message information pieces isdetermined. Hereinafter, the correction allowable range of timeinformation is referred to as the ‘time correction range’. In addition,to determine the correction value and the application range of thecorrection value, the second embodiment also uses message informationpieces with no transaction identifier attached. A message with atransaction identifier and a message with no transaction identifier havedifferent time correction ranges.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a system configuration according to thesecond embodiment. FIG. 2 depicts an example of a system for providingservices using the web three-tier system. In this system, terminals 31to 33 are connected to a web server 41 via a network 21 and a switch 22.The terminals 31 to 33 are apparatuses, such as computers and mobileterminals, used by users who receive provision of services.

The switch 22 is, for example, a layer 2 switch, and is provided with acapture port to tap a relayed packet signal and then output the packetsignal. A capture apparatus 44 is connected to the capture port of theswitch 22.

The web server 41 is a computer with an information and communicationfunction supported by the WWW. The web server 41 executes processes inresponse to requests from the terminals 31 to 33 and then returns theprocessing results. In the case of using a processing function of anapplication server 42 during the execution of a process, the web server41 transmits a processing request to the application server 42 and thenreceives the processing result.

Note that, upon receiving a request message for requesting a processfrom one of the terminals 31 to 33, for example, the web server 41generates a transaction identifier uniquely identifying a transaction tobe executed according to the request message. Then, in the case ofrequesting the application server 42 to carry out part of thetransaction processing, the web server 41 transmits, to the applicationserver 42, a request message with the transaction identifier of thetransaction attached thereto. Further, the web server 41 attaches thetransaction identifier of the transaction to a response messageindicating a result of the transaction processing.

The application server 42 is a computer for executing various types ofapplication software. The application server 42 executes a process inresponse to a request from the web server 41 and then returns theexecution result. Note that, if a process of accessing data managed by adatabase server 43 occurs during the execution of the process, theapplication server 42 transmits a processing request for data access tothe database server 43 and receives the processing result. In addition,the application server 42 stores history of each message (applicationmessage) transmitted or received in association with an executedprocess, with a time stamp (time information) attached. Note that theapplication server 42 adds transaction identifiers included in requestmessages from the web server 41 to at least some of request messages tobe transmitted to the database server 43.

The database server 43 is connected to the application server 42 via aswitch 23. The database server 43 is a computer for managing itsdatabase. The database server 43 executes a process in response to arequest from the application server 42 and then returns the executionresult.

The switch 23 is, for example, a layer 2 switch, and is provided with acapture port to tap a relayed packet signal and then output the packetsignal. A capture apparatus 45 is connected to the capture port of theswitch 23.

The capture apparatus 44 is a computer for acquiring each packettransmitted or received between the individual terminals 31 to 33 andthe web server 41 via the switch 22. The capture apparatus 44 analyzes amessage (web message) included in the acquired packet and stores themessage after adding a time stamp thereto.

The capture apparatus 45 is a computer for acquiring each packettransmitted or received between the application server 42 and thedatabase server 43 via the switch 23. The capture apparatus 45 analyzesa message (database message) included in the acquired packet and storesthe message after adding a time stamp thereto.

An analyzer 100 is connected to the application server 42 and thecapture apparatuses 44 and 45 via a network 24. The analyzer 100 is acomputer for analyzing a series of transactions whose processes havebeen executed by the web server 41, the application server 42, and thedatabase server 43. For example, the analyzer 100 acquires, from thecapture apparatus 44, information on messages transmitted and receivedbetween the individual terminals 31 to 33 and the web server 41. Theanalyzer 100 also acquires, from the application server 42, informationon messages transmitted and received between the web server 41 and theapplication server 42. Further, the analyzer 100 acquires, from thecapture apparatus 45, information on messages transmitted and receivedbetween the application server 42 and the database server 43. Then, theanalyzer 100 analyzes the acquired message information and determines,for example, an average processing time of each server with respect toeach type of transaction.

When analyzing messages, the analyzer 100 associates messages related toprocesses of the same transaction. Thus, the analyzer 100 analyzes theassociated messages of each transaction, which allows, for example,analysis of the processing time of each transaction in each layer.

Note here that, as for processes of the same transaction, the executionperiod of a process in a lower-level layer is contained in the executionperiod of a process in a higher-level layer. Therefore, in a singletransaction, a request message and a response message to and from thelower-level layer occur between a request message and a response messageto and from the higher-level layer. Messages satisfying such a conditionare associated with each other, which allows a set of messages havingoccurred in the same transaction to be generated. Whether or notsatisfying this condition may be determined, for example, by arrangingthe messages in chronological order.

Here, if the time of the time stamp added to each of the messages isaccurate, it is possible to place the messages correctly inchronological order. However, according to the second embodiment, thetime stamp for each web message is added by the capture apparatus 44.The time stamp for each application message is added by the applicationserver 42. The time stamp for each database message is added by thecapture apparatus 45. If there are differences in time among theinternal clocks of the application server 42 and the individual captureapparatuses 44 and 45, time differences also appear in the timeindicated by the time stamps. Even if the internal clocks of theapplication server 42 and the individual capture apparatuses 44 and 45are in sync with each other, differences in the timing of adding a timestamp among processes develop into subtle time differences on the scaleof, for example, 0.01 second. Such time differences make it difficult toplace the messages correctly in chronological order as the messages weretransmitted.

In view of the above-described problems, the analyzer 100 calculatescorrection values for correcting the time of messages with time stampsadded by different apparatuses, and places the messages in chronologicalorder after the time correction using the correction values. This allowsthe temporal inclusion relation between each higher-level process and alower-level process executed after being called by the higher-levelprocess to be reproduced correctly, thus enabling correct determinationof a set of messages included in the same transaction.

To correct the time of messages, the analyzer 100 sequentially obtainsthe time correction range for each of the messages. Note that, accordingto the second embodiment, the time correction range is obtained withrespect to each message pair formed by associating a request message ofa process with a response message of the process. In this regard, thetime correction range is obtained not only for messages with atransaction identifier but also for messages with no transactionidentifier. Then, the analyzer 100 acquires message pairs with atransaction identifier one by one. With each acquisition, the analyzer100 obtains an intersection of the time correction ranges of messagepairs acquired to that point in time, which intersection is designatedas the time correction range of a set of the acquired message pairs. Ifthe intersection of the time correction ranges becomes an empty set, theanalyzer 100 determines the set of all the acquired message pairs exceptfor the pair acquired at the end as a set of messages subject to timecorrection using the same single correction value. Then, the analyzer100 corrects the time of the individual messages belonging to the setusing a common value among the time correction ranges of the messagepairs of the set.

The analyzer 100 implementing the above-described processing is composedof the following hardware components, for example. FIG. 3 illustrates anexample of a hardware configuration of an analyzer used in the secondembodiment. Overall control of the analyzer 100 is exercised by a CPU101. To the CPU 101, a RAM 102 and a plurality of peripherals areconnected via a bus 108.

The RAM 102 is used as a main storage device of the analyzer 100. TheRAM 102 temporarily stores at least part of an operating system (OS)program and application programs to be executed by the CPU 101. The RAM102 also stores therein various types of data to be used by the CPU 101for its processing.

The peripherals connected to the bus 108 include a HDD 103, a graphicsprocessing unit 104, an input interface 105, an optical drive unit 106,and a communication interface 107.

The HDD 103 magnetically writes and reads data to and from a built-indisk, and is used as a secondary storage device of the analyzer 100. TheHDD 103 stores therein the OS program, application programs, and varioustypes of data. Note that a semiconductor storage device such as a flashmemory may be used as a secondary storage device in place of the HDD103.

To the graphics processing unit 104, a monitor 11 is connected.According to an instruction from the CPU 101, the graphics processingunit 104 displays an image on a screen of the monitor 11. A cathode raytube (CRT) display or a liquid crystal display, for example, may be usedas the monitor 11.

To the input interface 105, a keyboard 12 and a mouse 13 are connected.The input interface 105 transmits signals sent from the keyboard 12 andthe mouse 13 to the CPU 101. Note that the mouse 13 is just an exampleof pointing devices, and a different pointing device such as a touchpanel, a tablet, a touch-pad, and a trackball, may be used instead.

The optical drive unit 106 reads data recorded on an optical disk 14using, for example, laser light. The optical disk 14 is a portablerecording medium on which data is recorded in such a manner as to beread by reflection of light. Examples of the optical disk 14 include adigital versatile disc (DVD), a DVD-RAM, a compact disk read only memory(CD-ROM), a CD recordable (CD-R), and a CD-rewritable (CD-RW).

The communication interface 107 is connected to the network 24. Thecommunication interface 107 transmits and receives data to and from theapplication server 42 and the individual capture apparatuses 44 and 45via the network 24.

The hardware configuration described above achieves the processingfunctions of the second embodiment. Note that the information processingapparatus 1 of the first embodiment may be constructed with the samehardware configuration as the analyzer 100 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of functions of ananalyzer. The analyzer 100 includes a message collecting unit 110, a webmessage storing unit 120, an application message storing unit 130, adatabase message storing unit 140, a time correcting unit 150, and atransaction analyzing unit 160.

The message collecting unit 110 collects messages from the applicationserver 42 and the individual capture apparatuses 44 and 45. For example,the message collecting unit 110 acquires, from the capture apparatus 44,web messages stored therein and then stores the acquired messages in theweb message storing unit 120. The message collecting unit 110 alsoacquires, from the application server 42, application messages storedtherein and then stores the acquired messages in the application messagestoring unit 130. Further, the message collecting unit 110 acquires,from the capture apparatus 45, database messages stored therein and thenstores the acquired messages in the database message storing unit 140.

The web message storing unit 120 stores therein web messages exchangedbetween the individual terminals 31 to 33 and the web server 41. A partof the storage area of the RAM 102 or the HDD 103, for example, is usedas the web message storing unit 120.

The application message storing unit 130 stores therein applicationmessages exchanged between the web server 41 and the application server42. A part of the storage area of the RAM 102 or the HDD 103, forexample, is used as the application message storing unit 130.

The database message storing unit 140 stores therein database messagesexchanged between the application server 42 and the database server 43.A part of the storage area of the RAM 102 or the HDD 103, for example,is used as the database message storing unit 140.

The time correcting unit 150 calculates correction values used in timeinformation correction among web messages, application messages anddatabase messages. The time correcting unit 150 corrects the time ofmessages stored in one of the message storing units, using thecalculated correction values.

The transaction analyzing unit 160 arranges the messages stored in themessage storing unit in chronological order according to the correctedtime. Then, based on the messages arranged in chronological order, thetransaction analyzing unit 160 associates messages transmitted in eachtransaction. Based on information of the associated messages, thetransaction analyzing unit 160 analyzes the processing time of thetransaction at each server. Note that a transaction analytical techniquebased on messages is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Laid-openPatent Publication No. 2006-11683 mentioned above.

Note that, in FIG. 4, each line connecting the individual componentsrepresents only a part of communication paths, and communication pathsother than those illustrated in FIG. 4 are also configurable.

The analyzer 100 having the above-described functions reproducestransactions executed in the web three-tier system, which aresubsequently analyzed. Note that each of the following functions of FIG.4 is an example of corresponding unit of the first embodiment of FIG. 1:the message collecting unit 110 is an example of the acquiring unit 1 c;the time correcting unit 150 is an example of an integrated assembly ofthe determining unit 1 d, the generating unit 1 e, and the correctingunit 1 f; the web message storing unit 120 is an example of the firstmemory unit 1 a; the application message storing unit 130 is an exampleof the second memory unit 1 b in the case of determining correctionvalues for time correction between web messages and applicationmessages; the application message storing unit 130 is an example of thefirst memory unit 1 a in the case of determining correction values fortime correction between application messages and database messages; andthe database message storing unit 140 is an example of the second memoryunit 1 b.

Next described is a procedure of a transaction analysis process. FIG. 5is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of a transaction analysisprocess. The transaction analysis process of FIG. 5 is described nextaccording to the step numbers in the flowchart.

[Step S101] The message collecting unit 110 collects message informationfrom the application server 42 and the individual capture apparatuses 44and 45. For example, when an instruction for transaction analysis isinput by operation of an administrator, the message collecting unit 110collects message information. The message collecting unit 110 storesmessage information collected from the capture apparatus 44 in the webmessage storing unit 120. The message collecting unit 110 stores messageinformation collected from the application server 42 in the applicationmessage storing unit 130. Further, the message collecting unit 110stores message information collected from the capture apparatus 45 inthe database message storing unit 140.

[Step S102] The time correcting unit 150 corrects the time added tomessages. To correct the time, the time correcting unit 150 calculatessets of messages in each layer and a correction value to be applied tothe messages of each of the sets. Here, each of the sets is subject tocorrection of the time added to the messages belonging to the set usingthe same single correction value. For example, the time correcting unit150 calculates correction values for application messages based on thetime added to web messages. The time correcting unit 150 also calculatescorrection values for database messages based on the time added to theapplication messages. Then, the time correcting unit 150 corrects thetime of messages stored in one of the message storing units, withrespect to each set of messages using a correction value calculatedbased on the messages belonging to the set. The details of the processare described later (see FIG. 19).

[Step S103] The transaction analyzing unit 160 takes messages out fromthe web message storing unit 120, the application message storing unit130, and the database message storing unit 140. Then, the transactionanalyzing unit 160 carries out transaction analysis.

Next described is message information collected by the messagecollecting unit 110 with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8. FIG. 6 illustratesan example of a data structure of a web message storing unit. The webmessage storing unit 120 includes therein a web message management table121. The web message management table 121 includes columns for timestamp, type, uniform resource locator (URL), session identifier (ID),and transaction identifier. Information of a web message is entered ineach row of the web message management table 121.

In the time stamp column, each entry contains the time (time stamp) atwhich the capture apparatus 44 acquired a corresponding web message. Thetime stamp is set based on the internal clock of the capture apparatus44. In the type column, each entry contains the type of a correspondingweb message. Examples of the type include a request message and aresponse message. According to the example of FIG. 6, ‘req’ is set inthe type column in the case of a request message, and ‘res’ is settherein in the case of a response message. In the URL column, each entrycontains the URL of an access destination set in a corresponding requestmessage.

In the session identifier column, each entry contains the identifieruniquely identifying a communication session (session identifier)established between one of the terminals 31 to 33 and the web server 41.Paired request and response messages (message pair) having the samesession identifier indicate the start time and end time, respectively,of a process executed in response to the request message. In thetransaction identifier column, each entry contains the identifieruniquely identifying a transaction (transaction identifier) executed inresponse to a request from one of the terminals 31 to 33. Thetransaction identifier indicated in the response message of each messagepair uniquely indicates a transaction corresponding to the message pair.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a data structure of an applicationmessage storing unit. The application message storing unit 130 includestherein an application message management table 131. The applicationmessage management table 131 includes columns for start/end, transactionidentifier, time stamp, class name, and method name. Information of anapplication message is entered in each row of the application messagemanagement table 131.

In the start/end column, each entry contains information indicatingwhether the application server 42 received a request message havingtriggered the start of a process or transmitted a response messageindicating a processing result upon completion of a process. In the casewhere the application server 42 received a request message, a flag ‘S’indicating the start of a process is entered. In the case where theapplication server 42 transmitted a response message, a flag ‘E’indicating the end of a process is entered.

In the transaction identifier column, each entry contains thetransaction identifier of a transaction corresponding to a processexecuted by the application server 42. In the time stamp column, eachentry contains the time at which the application server 42 received ortransmitted a corresponding message.

In the class name column, each entry contains the class name of acorresponding process executed by the application server 42 as a part oftransaction processing. In the method name column, each entry containsthe method name of a corresponding process executed by the applicationserver 42 as a part of transaction processing.

Note that the same transaction identifier, class name, and method nameare entered for application messages individually indicating the startand end of a specific process executed by the application server 42.Therefore, each message pair is composed of a start (S) applicationmessage and an end (E) application message having the same transactionidentifier, class name, and method name. Based on individual time stampsof each message pair, the execution period of a process corresponding tothe transaction identifier is obtained.

In the example of FIG. 7, there are a plurality of start applicationmessages having the same transaction identifier. This is because the webserver 41 transmitted a plurality of request messages to the applicationserver 42 during a single transaction.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a data structure of a database messagestoring unit. The database message storing unit 140 includes therein adatabase message management table 141. The database message managementtable 141 includes columns for identifier, time stamp, transactionidentifier, type+protocol, and SQL command/data. Information of adatabase message is entered in each row of the database messagemanagement table 141.

In the identifier column, each entry contains the identifier added to acorresponding message exchanged in a session between the applicationserver 42 and the database server 43. The same identifier is added to arequest message transmitted to the database server 43 from theapplication server 42 and a response message transmitted from thedatabase server 43 in response to the request message. In the time stampcolumn, each entry contains the time stamp added to a correspondingdatabase message by the capture apparatus 45.

In the transaction identifier column, each entry contains thetransaction identifier added to a corresponding database message. In thetype+protocol column, each entry contains the type of a correspondingdatabase message, i.e. either a request message or a response message,and a protocol of the database message. In the SQL command/data column,each entry contains the SQL command and data included in a correspondingdatabase message.

Each message pair is formed by associating a request message and aresponse message having the same identifier in the database messagemanagement table 141.

Next described is an example of calculating a correction value for timecorrection between application messages and database messages. FIG. 9illustrates an example of message pairs of an application layer and adatabase layer. In FIG. 9, application messages and database messagesare presented in a simplified manner. As for the application messages inFIG. 9, the time indicated by time stamps is denoted as ‘time’, thetransaction identifier is denoted as ‘tid’, the start/end flag isdenoted as ‘S/E’, and other information is denoted as ‘info’. As for thedatabase messages, the time indicated by time stamps is denoted as‘time’, the transaction identifier is denoted as ‘tid’, the type isdenoted as ‘Req/Res’, and other information is denoted as ‘info’. ‘Req’and ‘Res’ of the type represent a request message and a responsemessage, respectively. Each of message pairs 51 to 54 of the applicationlayer is given a transaction identifier.

According to the example of FIG. 9, the four message pairs 51 to 54composed of application messages and seven message pairs 61 to 67composed of database messages are generated. A transaction identifier isgiven, among the database message pairs 61 to 67, only to each of therequest messages of the three message pairs 62, 64, and 67.

Arranging the individual messages of such message pairs in chronologicalorder according to the time indicated by their time stamps makes thetemporal relationship of the messages clear. FIG. 10 illustrates anexample of message transmission timing before time correction. In FIG.10, the messages of the message pairs 51 to 54 and 61 to 67 of FIG. 9are placed in chronological order. Execution periods of processesexecuted by the application server 42 and the database server 43 aredetermined as follows, based on the uncorrected time added to theindividual messages.

Each of the message pairs 51 to 54 of the application layer indicates aperiod of transaction processing corresponding to a transactionidentifier, executed by the application server 42. Based on a requestmessage 51 a and a response message 51 b of the message pair 51, theexecution period of a process with the transaction identifier tid1 isfound to be between time 1.00 and time 1.12. Based on a request message52 a and a response message 52 b of the message pair 52, the executionperiod of a first process with the transaction identifier tid2 is foundto be between time 1.33 and time 1.41. Based on a request message 53 aand a response message 53 b of the message pair 53, the execution periodof a second process with the transaction identifier tid2 is found to bebetween time 1.42 and time 1.49. Based on a request message 54 a and aresponse message 54 b of the message pair 54, the execution period of aprocess with the transaction identifier tid3 is found to be between time1.55 and time 1.68.

Each of the message pairs 61 to 67 of the database layer indicates aperiod of at least part of transaction processing corresponding to atransaction identifier, executed by the database server 43. Based on arequest message 62 a and a response message 62 b of the message pair 62,the execution period of a process corresponding to the transactionidentifier tid1 is found to be between time 1.04 and time 1.05. Based ona request message 64 a and a response message 64 b of the message pair64, the execution period of a process with the transaction identifiertid2 is found to be between time 1.41 and time 1.42. Based on a requestmessage 67 a and a response message 67 b of the message pair 67, theexecution period of a process with the transaction identifier tid3 isfound to be between time 1.55 and time 1.56.

In addition, transaction identifiers are not given to some message pairs61, 63, 65, and 66 of the database layer, and it therefore remainsunknown to which transaction each of the processes belongs. Based on arequest message 61 a and a response message 61 b of the message pair 61,a process belonging to one of the transactions is found to have takenplace between time 1.02 and time 1.03. Based on a request message 63 aand a response message 63 b of the message pair 63, a process belongingto one of the transactions is found to have taken place between time1.33 and time 1.34. Based on a request message 65 a and a responsemessage 65 b of the message pair 65, a process belonging to one of thetransactions is found to have taken place between time 1.43 and time1.44. Based on a request message 66 a and a response message 66 b of themessage pair 66, a process belonging to one of the transactions is foundto have taken place between time 1.53 and time 1.54.

Now in the execution of actual transaction processing, the applicationserver 42 executing a process calls the database server 43 for a process(i.e., transmits a request message). Subsequently, the database server43 after completing the execution of the process returns a response tothe application server 42 (transmits a response message). Therefore,after time correction is properly made, the following two conditions aremet between the message pairs 51 to 54 of the application server 42 andthe message pairs 61 to 67 of the database server 43.

A first condition is that the execution period of a process with atransaction identifier, executed by the database server 43, is containedin the execution period of a process with the same transactionidentifier, executed by the application server 42. That is, the processof the database server 43 starts at or after the start time of theprocess of the application server 42, having the same transactionidentifier. In addition, the process of the database server 43 ends ator before the end time of the process of the application server 42,having the same transaction identifier. In the second embodiment, amessage pair of a lower-level layer (the database layer in the exampleof FIG. 10) satisfying the inclusion relation between the processes withthe same transaction identifier is referred to as the ‘transactionidentifier-matched message pair’. In addition, the proportion oftransaction identifier-matched message pairs to all lower-level layermessage pairs with transaction identifiers is referred to as the‘matching rate’.

A second condition is that the execution period of a process with notransaction identifier, executed by the database server 43, is containedin the execution period of one of processes executed by the applicationserver 42. That is, with respect to each process of the database server43, there is a process of the application server 42, having started ator before the start time of the process of the database server 43 andhaving ended at or after the end time of the process of the databaseserver 43. In the second embodiment, a message pair of a lower-levellayer (the database layer in the example of FIG. 10) satisfying such aninclusion relation not bound by a transaction identifier is referred toas the ‘covered message pair’. In addition, the proportion of coveredmessage pairs to all lower-level layer message pairs is referred to asthe ‘cover rate’.

According to the example of FIG. 10, among the three database-layermessage pairs 62, 64, and 67 with a transaction identifier, one messagepair 64 is not a transaction identifier-matched message pair. Therefore,the matching rate is 66.7%. In addition, among the seven database-layermessage pairs 61 to 67, two message pairs 64 and 66 are not covered bycalling processes. Therefore, the cover rate is 71.4%.

Thus, without time correction, neither the matching rate nor the coverrate becomes 100%. In the actual transactions, the individual messageshave been transmitted in such an order that both the matching rate andthe cover rate become 100%. In view of this, the time correcting unit150 obtains a correction value allowing both the matching rate and thecover rate to be 100%.

Note however that such a correction value allowing both the matchingrate and the cover rate to be 100% may not be found in the case wherethe number of message pairs to which the same single correction value isapplied is excessively large. Next described are relationships betweenthe number of message pairs and the matching rate and cover rate withrespect to each prospective correction value, with reference to FIGS. 11to 13.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example of transitions of a matching rate and acover rate according to prospective correction values in the case ofapplying the same single correction value to messages for three hours.In FIG. 11, the horizontal axis represents a series of prospectivecorrection values and the vertical axis represents the matching rate andthe cover rate. As illustrated in FIG. 11, correcting the time of themessages for three hours by using the same single prospective correctionvalue produces both a matching rate and a cover rate of as low as about13% at most.

FIG. 12 illustrates an example of transitions of a matching rate and acover rate according to prospective correction values in the case ofapplying the same single correction value to messages for fifteenminutes. In FIG. 12, the horizontal axis represents a series ofprospective correction values and the vertical axis represents thematching rate and the cover rate. Note that the graph of FIG. 12presents the matching rate and the cover rate calculated based onmessages for the first fifteen minutes out of the three-hour messagesused to create the graph of FIG. 11. As illustrated in FIG. 12,correcting the time of the messages for fifteen minutes by using thesame single prospective correction value produces an increased matchingrate of about 23% at most and an increased cover rate of about 24% atmost. Nonetheless, both the matching rate and the cover rate fall shortof 100%.

FIG. 13 illustrates an example of transitions of a matching rate and acover rate according to prospective correction values in the case ofapplying the same single correction value to messages for one minute. InFIG. 13, the horizontal axis represents a series of prospectivecorrection values and the vertical axis represents the matching rate andthe cover rate. Note that the graph of FIG. 13 presents the matchingrate and the cover rate calculated based on messages for the first oneminute out of the three-hour messages used to create the graph of FIG.11.

As illustrated in FIGS. 11 to 13, a prospective correction valueallowing both the matching rate and the cover rate to be 100% may not befound in the case where the number of messages to which the same singlecorrection value is applied is large. In view of this, the secondembodiment limits the temporal range of messages to which the samesingle prospective correction value is applied. In this case, however,if the number of messages to which the same single correction value isapplied is too small, there is a range of prospective correction valuesallowing both the matching rate and the cover rate to be 100%. Accordingto the example of FIG. 13, in a range of prospective correction valuesfrom 0.0195 seconds to 0.0198 seconds, both the matching rate and thecover rate become 100%. In the case where there is an excessively widerange of prospective correction values allowing both the matching rateand the cover rate to be 100%, it is difficult to determine whichprospective correction value is appropriate to use as a correctionvalue. In view of the problems above, the second embodiment determinesmore messages enabling acquisition of a correction value allowing boththe matching rate and the cover rate to be 100%, and applies the samesingle correction value to the determined messages.

Next described are methods for determining a time correction range ofeach message pair of a lower-level layer (the database layer in theexamples of FIGS. 9 and 10). The time correction range of a message pairchanges depending on whether the message pair has a transactionidentifier. First, the time correction range of a message pair with atransaction identifier is described. As for a message pair with atransaction identifier, time correction is allowed as long as theexecution period of a process corresponding to the message pair afterthe time correction is contained in the execution period of a processcorresponding to a higher-level layer message pair with the sametransaction identifier.

Technically, an application-layer process and a database-layer processcalled by the application-layer process do not start or end at the exactsame time, and there is a little time difference in the start time orthe end time between the two processes. However, for example, if thetime difference is extremely small, it may appear when observedexternally as if the higher-level layer process and the lower-levellayer process had started or ended at the same time. Therefore, in thesecond embodiment, the time correction range is defined as a closedinterval. That is, it is allowed that the start time of a higher-levellayer process (the time of a request message) is the same as that of alower-level layer process called by the higher-level layer process (thetime of a request message). In addition, it is also allowed that the endtime of a higher-level layer process (the time of a response message) isthe same as that of a lower-level layer process called by thehigher-level layer process (the time of a response message).

Note however that the time correction range may be defined as an openinterval, for example, when the time precision of time stamps is veryhigh, that is, when it is possible to prevent the start time or end timeof the higher-level layer process and that of the lower-level layerprocess from being the same even when observed externally.

FIG. 14 illustrates a first example of a time correction range of amessage pair with a transaction identifier. The example of FIG. 14represents a case in which the execution period of a process 72corresponding to a database-layer message pair is contained in theexecution period of a process 71 corresponding to an application-layermessage pair having the same transaction identifier as thedatabase-layer message pair. In this case, it is possible to make acorrection such that a period of time shorter than or equal to adifference t₁ between the start time of the process 71 and that of theprocess 72 is subtracted from the time of the messages corresponding tothe process 72. In addition, it is possible to make a correction suchthat a period of time shorter than or equal to a difference t₂ betweenthe end time of the process 71 and that of the process 72 is added tothe time of the messages of the process 72. That is, as long as thecorrection value is within the range of [−t₁, t₂], the execution periodof the process 72 after correction of the time of the messagescorresponding to the process 72 is contained in the execution period ofthe process 71.

Note that, in the second embodiment, the correction value is defined asa closed interval, and the time correction range therefore includes −t₁and t₂. In the case where the time correction range is defined as anopen interval, the time correction range is denoted as (−t₁, t₂) anddoes not include neither −t₁ nor t₂.

FIG. 15 illustrates a second example of the time correction range of amessage pair with a transaction identifier. The example of FIG. 15represents a case in which the execution period of a process 74corresponding to a database-layer message pair is not contained in theexecution period of a process 73 corresponding to an application-layermessage pair having the same transaction identifier as thedatabase-layer message pair. In this case, it is possible to make acorrection such that a period of time longer than or equal to adifference t₃ between the start time of the process 73 and that of theprocess 74 is added to the time of the messages corresponding to theprocess 74. Note however that the add time needs to be a period of timeshorter than or equal to a difference t₄ between the end time of theprocess 73 and that of the process 74. That is, as long as thecorrection value is within the range of [t₃, t₄], the execution periodof the process 74 after correction of the time of the messagescorresponding to the process 74 is contained in the execution period ofthe process 73.

Next, a time correction range of a message pair with no transactionidentifier added is described. As for a message pair with no transactionidentifier, time correction is allowed as long as the execution periodof a process corresponding to the message pair after time correction iscontained in the execution period of a process corresponding to one ofhigher-level layer message pairs.

FIG. 16 illustrates an example of a time correction range of a messagepair with no transaction identifier. The execution period of a process85 corresponding to a database-layer message pair with no transactionidentifier is compared with the execution period of each of processes 81to 84 corresponding to application-layer message pairs. Then, collectiveranges of the execution periods of all the comparison targetapplication-layer processes 81 to 84 are determined as the timecorrection range of the message pair corresponding to the database-layerprocess 85.

According to the example of FIG. 16, one of the collective rangesextends from a point obtained by subtracting a difference b3 between thestart time of the process 81 and that of the process 85 from the starttime of the process 85 to a point obtained by subtracting a differenceb2 between the end time of the process 82 and that of the process 85from the end time of the process 85. This range is denoted as [−b3,−b2]. Another one of the collective ranges extends from a point obtainedby subtracting a difference b1 between the start time of the process 83and that of the process 85 from the start time of the process 85 to apoint obtained by adding a difference a1 between the end time of theprocess 85 and that of the process 83 to the end time of the process 85.This range is denoted as [−b1, a1]. Yet another one of the collectiveranges extends from a point obtained by adding a difference a2 betweenthe start time of the process 85 and that of the process 84 to the starttime of the process 85 to a point obtained by adding a difference a3between the end time of the process 85 and that of the process 84 to theend time of the process 85. This range is denoted as [a2, a3]. Then, thelogical OR of these ranges is the time correction range of the messagepair composed of the request and response messages of the process 85.

In the above-described manner, the time correction range is determinedwith respect to each message pair. Subsequently, when determining a timecorrection range based on a plurality of message pairs, the timecorrecting unit 150 designates an overlap of time correction ranges ofthe individual message pairs as the time correction range of the messagepairs. For example, the time correcting unit 150 sequentially selects amessage pair in a lower-level layer (for example, the database layer) inchronological order, and updates the time correction range for eachselection.

FIG. 17 illustrates an example of updating a time correction range. FIG.17 represents a previous time correction range, an added time correctionrange, and a new time correction range. The previous time correctionrange is determined based on a previously selected message pair. Theadded time correction range is based on a newly selected message pair.The new time correction range is determined based on the previously andnewly selected message pairs. As illustrated in FIG. 17, the new timecorrection range corresponds to overlaps between the previous timecorrection range and the added time correction range. The timecorrection range is gradually narrowed down with each update in theabove-described manner.

Note that, according to the second embodiment, determination of the timecorrection range of a plurality of message pairs starts with obtaining atime correction range based on a message pair with a transactionidentifier. Subsequently, the obtained time correction range iscontinuously updated with the time correction range of each sequentiallyselected message pair. Obtaining the initial time correction range basedon a message pair with a transaction identifier improves processingefficiency compared to obtaining the initial time correction range basedon a message pair with no transaction identifier. That is, when amessage pair with no transaction identifier is used in finding a timecorrection range, the processing amount is less if there is already anexisting time correction range that places range limits, compared to thecase of generating an initial time correction range based on the messagepair with no transaction identifier.

FIG. 18 illustrates a difference in the amount of processing due towhether there are temporal limits for a time correction range. FIG. 18depicts the execution period of a process 96 corresponding to a selecteddatabase-layer message pair and the execution periods of processes 91 to95 individually corresponding to application-layer message pairs. FIG.18 also depicts a time correction range 97 obtained based on a messagepair with a transaction identifier.

Assuming here that the time correction range 97 has yet to be determinedand there are therefore no range limits at the time of determining atime correction range of the selected message pair, any of theapplication-layer processes 91 to 95 is a potential calling process ofthe database-layer process 96. Therefore, in order to determine the timecorrection range of the message pair corresponding to the database-layerprocess 96, the execution period of the database-layer process 96 iscompared with the execution period of each of the five application-layerprocesses 91 to 95.

On the other hand, assuming that the time correction range 97 has beendetermined first, the time correction range of the selected message pairis bound by the time correction range 97. In this case, only either oneof the processes 93 and 94 whose execution periods are contained in thetime correction range 97 could be a calling process of thedatabase-layer process 96. Therefore, in order to determine the timecorrection range of the message pair corresponding to the database-layerprocess 96, the execution period of the database-layer process 96 iscompared with the execution period of each of the two application-layerprocesses 93 to 94.

In the above-described manner, by determining first the time correctionrange 97 based on a message pair with a transaction identifier, asmaller number of processes need to be compared at the time ofdetermining the time correction range of a message pair with notransaction identifier, thus improving processing efficiency. That is,in the case where there are no range limits imposed by a time correctionrange obtained based on a message pair with a transaction identifier,higher-level processes become potential calling processes of alower-level process, no matter how large the correction displacement ofthe execution period of the lower-level process is, as long as theinclusion relation between each of the higher-level processes and thelower-level process is satisfied. Thus, a large number of higher-levelprocesses are found to be the potential calling processes, and it istherefore difficult to obtain a correction value efficiently. On theother hand, in the case where there are range limits imposed by a timecorrection range obtained based on a message pair with a transactionidentifier, only a limited number of higher-level processes are found tobe potential calling processes, facilitating efficient search for a timecorrection range. In view of this, according to the second embodiment,the time correction range of a message pair with a transactionidentifier is determined first, prior to determination of the timecorrection range based on a message pair with no transaction identifier.This allows consistently efficient processing.

Next described is a procedure of a time correction process. Note that,in the following description, the time correction process is explainedusing the case of correcting time differences between the applicationlayer and the database layer as an example. FIG. 19 is a flowchartillustrating a procedure of a time correction process. The timecorrection process of FIG. 19 is described next according to the stepnumbers in the flowchart.

[Step S11] The time correcting unit 150 initializes a set S. Forexample, the time correcting unit 150 initializes the set S to be anempty set.

[Step S12] The time correcting unit 150 acquires one message pair of thelower-level layer (database layer). For example, the time correctingunit 150 acquires a message pair from the message pairs in the databasemessage storing unit 140 in chronological order of time added to therequest messages.

[Step S13] The time correcting unit 150 determines whether a transactionidentifier is attached to the acquired message pair. For example, if atleast one of the request message and the response message of theacquired message pair includes a transaction identifier, the timecorrecting unit 150 determines the transaction identifier as atransaction identifier attached to the message pair. If a transactionidentifier is attached, the time correcting unit 150 advances theprocedure to step S17. If not, the time correcting unit 150 advances theprocedure to step S14.

[Step S14] The time correcting unit 150 determines whether there areexisting range limits imposed by a time correction range obtained basedon a message pair with a transaction identifier. In the case where afinite range has been set as a time correction range of a simultaneouscorrection set, the time correcting unit 150 determines that there arerange limits. If there are range limits, the time correcting unit 150advances the procedure to step S16. If not, the time correcting unit 150advances the procedure to step S15.

[Step S15] When there are no range limits, the time correcting unit 150adds the acquired message pair to the set S. Subsequently, the timecorrecting unit 150 advances the procedure to step S29.

[Step S16] When there are range limits, the time correcting unit 150updates the time correction range of the simultaneous correction setbased on the acquired message pair. For example, the time correctingunit 150 extracts, from among application-layer message pairs stored inthe application message storing unit 130, a message pair such that theexecution period of a corresponding process is contained in the timecorrection range of the simultaneous correction set. The time correctingunit 150 compares the execution period of the process corresponding tothe extracted message pair and the execution period of a processcorresponding to the message pair acquired in step S12, to therebydetermine the time correction range of the acquired message pair. Then,the time correcting unit 150 sets, as a new time correction range of thesimultaneous correction set, an overlapping range between the timecorrection range of the simultaneous correction set and the timecorrection range of the acquired message pair. Subsequently, the timecorrecting unit 150 advances the procedure to step S20.

[Step S17] When a transaction identifier is attached to the acquiredmessage pair, the time correcting unit 150 obtains a message pair of thecalling process and updates the time correction range of thesimultaneous correction set. For example, the time correcting unit 150extracts a message pair having the same transaction identifier as theacquired message pair from the application message storing unit 130.Next, the time correcting unit 150 compares the execution period of aprocess corresponding to the extracted message pair and that of theprocess corresponding to the message pair acquired in step S12, tothereby determine the time correction range of the acquired messagepair. Then, the time correcting unit 150 sets, as a new time correctionrange of the simultaneous correction set, an overlapping range betweenthe time correction range of the simultaneous correction set and thetime correction range of the acquired message pair.

Note that when an overlapping range is not found between the timecorrection range of the simultaneous correction set and that of theacquired message pair, the time correction range of the simultaneouscorrection set becomes an empty set. When the time correction range ofthe simultaneous correction set is updated to an empty set, the timecorrecting unit 150 stores the pre-update time correction range in amemory such as the RAM 102.

[Step S18] The time correcting unit 150 determine whether the set S isan empty set. If the set S is an empty set, the time correcting unit 150advances the procedure to step S20. If not, the time correcting unit 150advances the procedure to step S19.

[Step S19] The time correcting unit 150 updates the time correctionrange of the simultaneous correction set using individual database-layermessage pairs included in the set S. For example, the time correctingunit 150 selects message pairs included in the set S one by one. Next,the time correcting unit 150 extracts, from among application-layermessage pairs stored in the application message storing unit 130, amessage pair such that the execution period of a corresponding processis contained in the time correction range of the simultaneous correctionset. The time correcting unit 150 compares the execution period of theprocess corresponding to the extracted message pair and the executionperiod of the process corresponding to the selected message pair, tothereby determine the time correction range of the selected messagepair. Then, the time correcting unit 150 sets, as a new time correctionrange of the simultaneous correction set, an overlapping range betweenthe time correction range of the simultaneous correction set and thetime correction range of the selected message pair.

Note that when an overlapping range is not found between the timecorrection range of the simultaneous correction set and that of theselected message pair, the time correction range of the simultaneouscorrection set becomes an empty set. When the time correction range ofthe simultaneous correction set is updated to an empty set, the timecorrecting unit 150 stores the pre-update time correction range to amemory such as the RAM 102.

[Step S20] The time correcting unit 150 determines whether the timecorrection range of the simultaneous correction set is an empty set. Ifthe time correction range of the simultaneous correction set is not anempty set, the time correcting unit 150 advances the procedure to stepS21. If the time correction range of the simultaneous correction set isan empty set, the time correcting unit 150 advances the procedure tostep S22.

[Step S21] When the time correction range of the simultaneous correctionset is not an empty set, the time correcting unit 150 adds the acquiredmessage pair to the simultaneous correction set. Subsequently, the timecorrecting unit 150 advances the procedure to step S29.

[Step S22] The time correcting unit 150 determines one point in the timecorrection range of the simultaneous correction set before the update instep S16 or S19 as a time correction value for message pairs included inthe current simultaneous correction set. Then, the time correcting unit150 corrects the time of the time stamp of each of the message pairsincluded in the simultaneous correction set using the determinedcorrection value. For example, the time correcting unit 150 uses, as thecorrection value, the median of the pre-update correction range of thesimultaneous correction set. Alternatively, the time correcting unit 150may use the smallest or the largest value of the pre-update timecorrection range of the simultaneous correction set as the correctionvalue. Next, the time correcting unit 150 adds the correction value tothe time of the time stamp of each of the message pairs included in thesimultaneous correction set. Note that if the correction value is anegative value, the absolute value of the correction value is subtractedfrom the time of each message. Then, the time correcting unit 150overwrites original message records in the database message storing unit140 with records of messages of each message pair after the timecorrection.

[Step S23] The time correcting unit 150 determines whether a transactionidentifier is attached to the acquired message pair. If a transactionidentifier is attached, the time correcting unit 150 advances theprocedure to step S26. If not, the time correcting unit 150 advances theprocedure to step S24.

[Step S24] When a transaction identifier is not attached to the acquiredmessage pair, the time correcting unit 150 sets the acquired messagepair as an only element of the set S. For example, the time correctingunit 150 deletes all elements of the sets S and, then, adds the acquiredmessage pair to the set S.

[Step S25] The time correcting unit 150 initializes the time correctionrange of the simultaneous correction set so as not to impose rangelimits. For example, the time correcting unit 150 sets an entire range(for example, from negative infinity to positive infinity) as the timecorrection range of the simultaneous correction set. Subsequently, thetime correcting unit 150 advances the procedure to step S28.

[Step S26] When a transaction identifier is attached to the acquiredmessage pair, the time correcting unit 150 updates the set S to an emptyset.

[Step S27] Based on the process corresponding to the acquired messagepair, the time correcting unit 150 sets a new time correction range ofthe simultaneous correction set. For example, the time correcting unit150 extracts a message pair having the same transaction identifier asthe acquired message pair from the application message storing unit 130.Next, the time correcting unit 150 compares the execution period of theprocess corresponding to the extracted message pair and that of theprocess corresponding to the message pair acquired in step S12, tothereby determine the time correction range of the acquired messagepair. Then, the time correcting unit 150 sets the time correction rangeof the acquired message pair as a new time correction range of thesimultaneous correction set.

[Step S28] The time correcting unit 150 updates the simultaneouscorrection set to include only the acquired message pair.

[Step S29] The time correcting unit 150 determines whether there is anext message pair. If there is a next message pair, the time correctingunit 150 advances the procedure to step S12. On the other hand, when allthe message pairs in the database message storing unit 140 haveundergone the procedure and there is therefore no more message pairleft, the time correcting unit 150 ends the time correction process.

In the above-described manner, a correction value is determined for eachsimultaneous correction set. Note that, according to the example of FIG.19, the time correction range of a lower-level layer message pair with atransaction identifier is determined first. Next, as for a prior messagepair with no transaction identifier (message pair in the set S) forwhich prospective calling processes have yet to be determined, the timecorrection range is obtained. Subsequently, an intersection of the timecorrection range of the message pair with no transaction identifier andthe time correction range determined first is designated as a new timecorrection range. At this point, such an intersection may not exist and,therefore, the time correction range may become an empty set. In thiscase, the number of request messages attached with a transactionidentifier in the application server 42 is considered to beinsufficient. Therefore, for example, an administrator sets theapplication server 42 to increase, among request messages addressed tothe database server 43, the number of request messages attached with atransaction identifier. This allows the future transaction analysis tohave an improved possibility of including message pairs with notransaction identifier into a set of messages to which the same singlecorrection value as for message pairs with a transaction identifier isto be applied.

After update of the time correction range based on message pairs in theset S, message pairs following the first message pair with a transactionidentifier are sequentially extracted in chronological order, and thetime correction range is repeatedly updated by taking an intersection ofthe time correction range determined previously and the time correctionrange of the extracted message pair. In the case where no intersectionis found, time correction is made, using the same single correctionvalue, for message pairs extracted prior to the last extracted messagepair. Then, the time correction process moves on to the determination ofa new correction value, which starts with the last extracted messagepair.

Thus, according to the second embodiment, a correction allowable rangesatisfying limits and a set of messages subject to correction using thesame single correction value are progressively updated in theabove-described manner, and time correction for all the messages in theset is executed when the limits are not met any longer. Therefore, thesecond embodiment eliminates the need for iteratively correcting a rangeagain when the limits are not met and then checking whether thecorrected range meets the limits. In addition, a correction value isdetermined based on an inclusion relation between message pairs with atransaction identifier, which eliminates the need for making anassumption on a specific pattern of time lags between the internalclocks. As a result, according to the second embodiment, it is possibleto properly correct time differences even when there are messages withno transaction identifier or when the time differences vary randomly.

According to the second embodiment, one point in a range common to allthe time correction ranges of message pairs included in a singlesimultaneous correction set is designated as a time correction value tobe applied to messages making up the message pairs. That is, when thetime of each message of the message pairs included in the simultaneouscorrection set is corrected using the determined correction value, boththe matching rate and the cover rate after the correction become 100%.

FIG. 20 illustrates differences in a matching rate and a cover rate withand without determination of an appropriate application range of eachcorrection value. The upper part of FIG. 20 illustrates an example ofupper limits of the cover rate and the matching rate obtained when anappropriate application range of a correction value is not determinedand the same single correction value is applied to all messages forfifteen minutes. In this example, the cover rate reaches an upper limitof 23.02% when the correction value is 0.0152 seconds, and the matchingrate reaches an upper limit of 22.09% when the correction value is0.0151 seconds. Thus, with no regard for an appropriate range ofcorrection value application, no correction value allowing both thematching rate and the cover rate to be 100% may be found.

The lower part of FIG. 20 illustrates the cover rate and matching rateobtained when an appropriate application range of each correction valueis determined and a different correction value is applied for eachapplication range. As illustrated in FIG. 20, a log for 15 minutes isdivided into six periods, each of which is determined as an applicationrange. An appropriate correction value is obtained for each of theapplication ranges. For example, the correction value of an applicationrange ‘0 to 2 minutes’ is 0.013 seconds, and the correction value of anappropriate range ‘2 to 5 minutes’ is 0.010 seconds. In this manner,when the time of messages in each application range is corrected using acorresponding correction value, both the cover rate and the matchingrate become 100% over the entire application ranges.

As described above, the second embodiment determines an appropriateapplication range for each correction value, and thereby over the entireapplication ranges, time correction is achieved using correction valueseach satisfying limiting conditions for calling (higher-level) andcalled (lower-level) processes, which are represented by the matchingrate and the cover rate. Correcting the time of message information of alower-level layer using such correction values improves the reliabilityof transaction analysis.

(c) Other Embodiments

According to the second embodiment, to determine an application range ofthe same single correction value (a simultaneous correction set), boththe cover rate and the matching rate are used, however, at least one ofthe cover rate and the matching rate may be used instead. In the case ofusing the matching rate only, for example, when a message pair with notransaction identifier is acquired, it may be unconditionally includedin the simultaneous correction set. Alternatively, in the case of usingthe cover rate only, as for each message pair with a transactionidentifier, collective ranges each allowing the execution period of aprocess corresponding to the message pair to be corrected to fall withinthe execution period of one of higher-level layer processes aredetermined as the time correction range of the message pair, in the samemanner as for a message pair with no transaction identifier.

Time correction is made to lower-level layer messages according to thesecond embodiment, however, time differences are relative and,therefore, the time of higher-level layer messages may be correctedinstead. Alternatively, time correction may be made to both higher-levellayer and lower-level layer messages.

Note that the second embodiment does not consider the possibility thathigher-level layer messages have failed to be observed due to errors inobservation. In the case where higher-level layer messages have failedto be observed, for example, a higher-level layer message paircorresponding to a lower-level layer message pair with a transactionidentifier may not be found. When a higher-level layer message pairhaving the same transaction identifier is not found, the time correctingunit 150 may correct the time of messages up to the last acquiredmessage pair using the same single correction value, for example. Atthis point, if failing to find a higher-level layer message pair havingthe same transaction identifier occurs frequently, simultaneouscorrection for a plurality of message pairs with a transactionidentifier may not be achieved, resulting in finely divided sets eachsubject to correction with the same single correction value. Notehowever that generation of such finely divided sets does not lead to aproblematic increase in processing time or decrease in accuracy of thecorrection values.

Nonetheless, in order to prevent unnecessary segmentation of sets, eachacquired message pair may be included in the simultaneous correctionset, for example, while the cover rate may not be 100% but remains abovea predetermined value (for example, 95% or more).

In the case where packet loss has occurred, a higher-level layer messagepair corresponding to a lower-level layer message pair with atransaction identifier may not be found. In this case, the timecorrecting unit 150 may determine the time correction range of such alower-level layer message pair in the same manner as for one with notransaction identifier.

In the course of calculating the matching rate and the cover rate, thesecond embodiment may obtain a time correction range not with respect toeach lower-level layer message pair, but with respect to eachlower-level layer message. For example, as for each database-layermessage with a transaction identifier, a range allowing the time of thedatabase-layer message to be corrected to fall within the executionperiod of a process corresponding to an application-layer message pairhaving the same transaction identifier may be determined as the timecorrection range of the database-layer message. As for eachdatabase-layer message with no transaction identifier, collective rangeseach allowing the time of the database-layer message to be corrected tofall within the execution period of a process corresponding to one ofapplication-layer message pairs may be determined as the time correctionrange of the database-layer message.

Message time correction is executed by the time correcting unit 150according to the second embodiment, however, the transaction analyzingunit 160, for example, may perform the time correction at the time oftransaction analysis. In that case, the time correcting unit 150 writes,for example, values indicating application ranges and correction values,as illustrated in FIG. 20, in a storage device such as a memory.Subsequently, at the time of transaction analysis, the transactionanalyzing unit 160 reads messages from the individual message storingunits, then determines in which application range the time added to eachof the messages is included, and corrects the time of each message usinga correction value corresponding to the determined application range.

The processing functions described in each of the embodiments above maybe achieved by a computer. In this case, a program is provided whichdescribes processing content of the functions to be implemented by theinformation processing apparatus 1 or the analyzer 100. By executing theprogram on the computer, the above-described processing functions areachieved on the computer. The program in which the processing content isdescribed may be recorded on computer-readable recording media. Suchcomputer-readable recording media include a magnetic storage device, anoptical disk, a magneto-optical recording medium, and a semiconductormemory. Examples of the magnetic storage device are a HDD, a flexibledisk (FD), and a magnetic tape. Examples of the optical disk are a DVD,a DVD-RAM, a CD-ROM, and a CD-RW. An example of the magneto-opticalrecording medium is a magneto-optical disk (MO). Note that transitorypropagating signals per se are not considered here as acomputer-readable recording medium.

To distribute the program, for example, portable recording media, suchas DVDs and CD-ROMs, on which the program is recorded are sold. Inaddition, the program may be stored in a memory device of a servercomputer and then transferred from the server computer to anothercomputer via a network.

A computer for executing the program stores, for example, in its ownmemory device, the program which is originally recorded on a portablerecording medium or transferred from the server computer. Subsequently,the computer reads the program from its own memory device and performsprocessing according to the program. Note that the computer is able toread the program directly from the portable recording medium and performprocessing according to the program. In addition, the computer is ableto sequentially perform processing according to a received program eachtime such a program is transferred from a server computer.

In addition, at least part of the above-described processing functionsmay be achieved by an electronic circuit, such as a digital signalprocessor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), anda programmable logic device (PLD).

According to one aspect, appropriate time correction is achieved.

All examples and conditional language provided herein are intended forthe pedagogical purposes of aiding the reader in understanding theinvention and the concepts contributed by the inventor to further theart, and are not to be construed as limitations to such specificallyrecited examples and conditions, nor does the organization of suchexamples in the specification relate to a showing of the superiority andinferiority of the invention. Although one or more embodiments of thepresent invention have been described in detail, it should be understoodthat various changes, substitutions, and alterations could be madehereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. An information processing apparatus comprising: aprocessor configured to perform a procedure including: obtainingrequester time information including time information pieces on aplurality of first processes executed by a first server; obtainingrequest-destination time information including time information pieceson a plurality of second processes executed by a second server inresponse to a plurality of execution requests output according to theplurality of first processes; calculating an execution period of each ofthe plurality of first processes and an execution period of each of theplurality of second processes based on the requester time informationand the request-destination time information; calculating, with respectto each of the plurality of second processes, a correction range for thetime information pieces such as to allow the execution period of theeach of the plurality of second processes to be corrected to fall withinthe execution period of one of the plurality of first processes; andgenerating a set of time information pieces on second processes whoseexecution periods are chronologically consecutive and whose correctionranges satisfy a prescribed condition.
 2. The information processingapparatus according to claim 1, wherein the procedure further includescorrecting, with a common value, the time information pieces on thesecond processes belonging to the generated set, the common value beingcommon among the correction ranges for the time information pieces onthe second processes belonging to the generated set.
 3. The informationprocessing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: one or more of thetime information pieces on the plurality of first processes individuallyinclude an identifier of a transaction containing a first process; oneor more of the time information pieces on the plurality of secondprocesses individually include an identifier of a transaction containinga second process; the calculating the execution period of the each ofthe first processes includes calculating the execution period of theeach of the first processes based on a first time information pairincluding time information pieces that respectively indicate a starttime and an end time of the each of the first processes and that areassociated with each other; the calculating the execution period of theeach of the second processes includes calculating the execution periodof the each of the second processes based on a second time informationpair including time information pieces that respectively indicate astart time and an end time of the each of the second processes and thatare associated with each other; and the calculating the correction rangeincludes determining, as the correction range for the time informationpieces of the second time information pair, a correction range thatallows the execution period of the second process corresponding to thesecond time information pair to be corrected to fall within theexecution period calculated based on the first time information pairhaving a same identifier as the second time information pair.
 4. Theinformation processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: thecalculating the execution period of the each of the first processesincludes calculating a plurality of execution periods of the pluralityof first processes based on a plurality of first time information pairsof the plurality of first processes, the plurality of first timeinformation pairs each including time information pieces thatrespectively indicate a start time and an end time of a first processand that are associated with each other; the calculating the executionperiod of the each of the second processes includes calculating theexecution period of the each of the second processes based on a secondtime information pair including time information pieces thatrespectively indicate a start time and an end time of the each of thesecond processes and that are associated with each other; and thecalculating the correction range includes determining, as the correctionrange for the time information pieces of the second time informationpair, a correction range that allows the execution period of the secondprocess corresponding to the second time information pair to becorrected to fall within one of the plurality of execution periods ofthe plurality of first processes.
 5. The information processingapparatus according to claim 1, wherein: one or more of the timeinformation pieces on the plurality of first processes individuallyinclude an identifier of a transaction containing a first process; oneor more of the time information pieces on the plurality of secondprocesses individually include an identifier of a transaction containinga second process; the calculating the execution period of the each ofthe first processes includes calculating the execution period of theeach of the first processes based on a first time information pairincluding time information pieces that respectively indicate a starttime and an end time of the each of the first processes and that areassociated with each other; the calculating the execution period of theeach of the second processes includes calculating the execution periodof the each of the second processes based on a second time informationpair including time information pieces that respectively indicate astart time and an end time of the each of the second processes and thatare associated with each other; and the calculating the correction rangeincludes determining, with respect to the second time information pairincluding the identifier, as the correction range for the timeinformation pieces of the second time information pair, a correctionrange that allows the execution period of the second processcorresponding to the second time information pair to be corrected tofall within the execution period calculated based on the first timeinformation pair having a same identifier as the second time informationpair, and determining, with respect to the second time information pairthat does not include the identifier, as the correction range for thetime information pieces of the second time information pair that doesnot include the identifier, a correction range that allows the executionperiod of the second process corresponding to the second timeinformation pair that does not include the identifier to be corrected tofall within one of a plurality of execution periods calculated based ona plurality of first time information pairs of the plurality of firstprocesses, the determined correction range being contained in thecorrection range determined based on the second time information pairincluding the identifier.
 6. The information processing apparatusaccording to claim 5, wherein the calculating the correction rangeincludes determining the correction range for the time informationpieces of the second time information pair including the identifierfirst among a plurality of second time information pairs.
 7. Aninformation processing method comprising: obtaining, by a processor,requester time information including time information pieces on aplurality of first processes executed by a first server; obtaining, bythe processor, request-destination time information including timeinformation pieces on a plurality of second processes executed by asecond server in response to a plurality of execution requests outputaccording to the plurality of first processes; calculating, by theprocessor, an execution period of each of the plurality of firstprocesses and an execution period of each of the plurality of secondprocesses based on the requester time information and therequest-destination time information; calculating, by the processor,with respect to each of the plurality of second processes, a correctionrange for the time information pieces such as to allow the executionperiod of the each of the plurality of second processes to be correctedto fall within the execution period of one of the plurality of firstprocesses; and generating, by the processor, a set of time informationpieces on second processes whose execution periods are chronologicallyconsecutive and whose correction ranges satisfy a prescribed condition.8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computerprogram causing a computer to perform a procedure comprising: obtainingrequester time information including time information pieces on aplurality of first processes executed by a first server; obtainingrequest-destination time information including time information pieceson a plurality of second processes executed by a second server inresponse to a plurality of execution requests output according to theplurality of first processes; calculating an execution period of each ofthe plurality of first processes and an execution period of each of theplurality of second processes based on the requester time informationand the request-destination time information; calculating, with respectto each of the plurality of second processes, a correction range for thetime information pieces such as to allow the execution period of theeach of the plurality of second processes to be corrected to fall withinthe execution period of one of the plurality of first processes; andgenerating a set of time information pieces on second processes whoseexecution periods are chronologically consecutive and whose correctionranges satisfy a prescribed condition.